MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: LNP commits $215m to Coast hospital link

Stuart Cumming
Reporter
Stuart studied journalism at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba. He worked briefly at Central Queensland News and Warwick Daily News. He has worked as a reporter at The Chronicle since July 2009.

A ROAD by any other name than the Mooloolah River Interchange has earned a big dollar commitment just days after featuring in a major Sunshine Coast Daily campaign.

Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls pulled his bus up beside Kawana Way on Monday to announce, if elected, his government would start work on the Sunshine Coast Hospital Link Road.

The interchange and the link road are one and the same $430 million project, with the new name coined by the LNP earlier this year.

Mr Nicholls on Monday committed to half of the total, saying the other $215 million would come from the Federal Government.

His promise came after Sunshine Coast Daily acting editor John Farmer demanded on Saturday in a front page editorial that the LNP and Labor treat the Coast with the respect it deserved.

Mr Farmer called on state leaders to heed the Daily's Fair Go campaign and make major works projects like the interchange a reality.

Mr Nicholls said his announcement was in response to advocacy work of his local MPs and campaigning by the Daily.

"We identified it back in 2015 obviously so we knew it was a key issue then so this is a really important issue for the people of the Sunshine Coast," Mr Nicholls said.

"We know because we have seen about it in your paper (the Daily) and we know that because we have heard about it from our MPs."

Yesterday's announcement was not the first time the LNP had committed to the interchange.

It was a 2015 election promise to be funded by its asset leasing policy.

"We lost the election of course and Labor won and they haven't done anything for the Sunshine Coast in the three years since, so we are going to pick up the ball (and) pick up the planning," Mr Nicholls said.

He declined to detail how Monday's commitment would be funded.

"We will be releasing all the details of our costings ... prior to the election as is always the case."

He said he had spoken with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as well as Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester and Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher about the Federal Government's contribution.

"They will certainly want to see the costings come forward but they are very committed to supporting this project," Mr Nicholls said.

Member for Buderim Steve Dickson reiterated a commitment made earlier this year to funding the project if One Nation was elected to government or held the balance of power.

Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said Mr Nicholls needed to detail how he would fund his commitments.

Member for Fairfax Ted O'Brien said the interchange was "absolutely critical".

"So all commitments that Tim Nicholls and the team are making, especially for the Sunshine Coast, are very welcome," Mr O'Brien said.